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 Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:25 pm
 Poine was pleased. No, more than that -- she was elated. The suspect had been found, captured, and now sweet justice could be served. Poine liked justice. She liked the idea of cosmic scales that needed balancing. She liked the image of herself as the mediator, the equalizer, the wolf who brought happiness through sweet vengeance.
Besides, she was looking forward to being rid of the brute. He was a wild thing, and poor company for the long journey back to Acropolis territory. At this point, she was so annoyed with him that she hardly cared whether he were innocent or not.
Still, a trial was necessary. A wolf had the right to face his accusor, even if it was only for a fleeting moment before his death. Even if dragging him here half-conscious was a huge inconvenience and he kept dripping warm blood down her side as he swayed and stumbled along beside her.
Hesitantly, she settled to her haunches near the border of the territory. She dearly hoped she would have the good fortune to run into her client directly. It would be a disaster if she ran into some meddlesome fool instead....
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:06 am
 Since the strange hunter's appearance, Tisiphone had taken it upon herself to patrol along the border daily...before Hephaestus got around to it. Such a step might not be necessary if she had had the presence of mind to work out some kind of signal with the hunter, but Tis had been so angry then, so furious that she had not been thinking clearly.
Certainly, she was annoyed at this, and used it as the focus of her irritated mutterings, but what she was truly worried about was the hunter's chance of success. Tisiphone had tried for years to find the murdered, and had met with not so much of a hint of a trail for her troubles. Even if the hunter did manage to find him, what were the chances of it being anytime soon? And even if she did find him, would she really be able to bring him back alive?
She huffed in annoyance. There was no point in worrying about such things. So long as there was even a chance that the hunter might return with him, she knew that she would be out here waiting for them.
It was then that she caught a recently familiar scent...mingled with blood and a much older, and completely unforgettable scent. Tisiphone froze. Surely Poine could not have met with success so quickly. It defied belief, yet her nose did not lie. The object of her hatred was near.
Emerald eyes darkened as she set off toward the pair, feeling much calmer and, and moving with such deliberate calm that she would never have believed possible before now. Not when she was about to have her revenge. It would seem that, despite her fiery bouts of temper, Tisiphone's fury runs cold.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:04 am
Poine's ears flicked forward, and a smile curved the edges of her dark maw. "The time of reckoning is near," she growled to the half-beaten wolf. She drug him forward, holding him in position with sharp teeth -- holding him the way a mother might carry an over-large, gangling pup. "Are you ready to face your fate?"
He muttered something noncommittal. He had refused to talk for the majority of the journey. She wasn't sure if that was due to his stupidity, insanity, or simply a willfulness not to accept his inevitable death.
"She comes," Poine said, finally, releasing him. If he thought to run, she would have him stopped within a second. She was as fast and deadly as a viper, and she knew no mercy. "Look alive, friend," she added, teasingly. "You only have one chance at a first impression."
Of course, they both knew that he had already blown his chance at a good impression with Tisiphone...
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:27 am
It was one thing to know that the one you had so long desired was near. It was another thing entirely to set eyes on him. As two dark forms became visible through the dense forest, Tisiphone felt her fury reach an even deeper level of cold. Soon. Very soon, her family would be avenged.
"Poine. I am impressed," she said casually enough, once more surprising herself with how composed she was in such a situation. She had expected to howl and snap and rend him limb from limb upon first sighting him. Instead, she was content to take her time, make him wait a little longer to learn the details of his fate. Though, of course, the end result was inevitable.
"You have made more progress in the short time you have been on his trail than I have made in years." She turned her attention to the half-dead bane of her existence. "Though it is a pity there isn't more life in him. Takes all the fun out of it."
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:22 pm
Poine shrugged, slightly, her glowing eyes smouldering as they laid upon the dark femme. "Finding monsters is substantially easier when you are a monster yourself," she said, a slight quiver of a smile touching upon her maw.
She followed Tis's gaze back to the wolf. He looked uneasy; perhaps the reality of his imminent death had occurred to him. The muscles in his shoulders and flank were tense, and his face had the taut look of a wolf who was prepared to do whatever it took to survive -- even if surviving was hardly worth it.
"Truth be told, he was in rather ratty shape when I found him. But I will take responsibility for some damage to the goods during transit. I think you will find he performs quite admirably under duress."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:06 pm
"I doubt there is anything admirable about him at all," she murmured, but her attention was more on the male before her. What had become of the brutish monster she remembered? He was still large, to be sure, but much of his bulk was gone. He was little more than a tall collection of skin and bone, as though all of his vitality had been sucked out of him, leaving him hollow and sunken. He was...almost pitiable, if it were possible for Tisiphone to be moved to such an emotion for him. Mostly, it was disappointing. Not that that would save him.
"Belial." she began. "Have you any idea the amount of trouble you have caused me? You have been quite an annoyance these past years. Look. I even had to take Poine up on her offer to find you for me." She frowned at him, considering.
"I do hope you haven't forgotten," she said in a light voice that somehow promised dire consequences if he had. "I certainly haven't. My sister. Her mate. Their pups. My lover. I want you to be perfectly clear on why you are going to die today. This is about my family. This is my revenge for them. My offering to ease their restless souls. Tell me, Belial. Are you ready to meet your fate?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:36 pm
Belial bared his teeth, glaring back at her coldly. His legs stiffened, eyes darting back and forth as he sought his 'out'. "I don't even know who you are," he said in a low, grating voice. "You crazy b***h."
He took the opportunity, then, to run. He had a long, difficult life. Things were broken in his head, to be fair. Moreso, of late; he had killed plenty of wolves since obliterating Tis's pack, and his memories of their deaths all blurred together in his mind. He dreamed about them, and he wasn't sure sometimes where the line was drawn between dreams and reality.
Belial had never known love, or kindness. He was a wild animal, and cared only for survival...and feeding the terrible hunger for violence that dwelled in his heart.
The large wolf made a break for it, tearing away from the females as quickly as his battered form could handle.
Poine sat back, politely looking the other way as Tisiphone faced her victim. She didn't want to leave until the job was done, but she didn't want to get in the way, either.
She knew that Belial would make a run for it moments before he did so. Her ear flicked, but she did not move. If Tis needed help, she would offer it....but this was the black wolf's fight, not hers.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:00 pm
"Wrong answer," she said. If she words had power, the very air would have frozen with the force of her tone. Then, Belial made a break for it, and she sighed.
"Oh, dear. That won't do." But the light in her eyes as she took off after him belied her tone. The hunt was on. The femme was pleased.
The male was fast, even in the poor state his body was in, but Tisiphone was faster. "If you don't remember, then I'll just have to make you," she called after him.
"Our alpha, Ajax. He had a good heart. He was a good wolf. Apparently, his instincts were right one, too, since he took such an instant dislike to you." There was no response from the male she was chasing.
"No? What about the pups? Surely even a monster like you has not slain too many pups in his time. They should trigger something in your memory. There were three of them, each silly, playful little things. Innocent. They never did anything to deserve their fate." She heard an irritated sound from him, but nothing to indicate that his memory had returned.
"Still nothing? Then perhaps Cith? My mate. Silly as a pup, himself, but loyal. True. Kind and gentle. Of course, he took exception to you. Really. I don't think any of us cared for you." She saw her quarry's ears twitch, but he remained silent.
"Still, I shouldn't be surprised that none of them really stuck in your memory. After all, you only had eyes for one wolf. Dainty. Strong. Fur the color of storm clouds. Yes. My sister Alecto was the one who caught your attention. Surely even you could not have forgotten her completely. She was a female that any wolf would remember."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:45 pm
He ran. She said something to him, and he registered it vaguely, but gave it no heed.
Eventually, though, he realized that running was hopeless. She would catch him, and he was already growing tired. If he was to die, he would die like a man.
A cold grin spread over his maw as he halted, bracing himself for impact, glaring at her with murderous intent. "Ahh...Alecto. yes. I remember. She was delicious. But I do I have one regret."
His grin widened, eyes glittered. "I regret not doing you at the same time."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:57 pm
She glared at him in return, growling at his impudence. Delicious? He dared to call her delicious? To speak of tasting her blood? No. He would not be forgiven. But her goal had been met. At least he now knew why he was to die.
"Yes," she agreed. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." She knew he was ready for her, and she knew, from the mere fact that he could have taken on three adults at once and emerged victorious, that he was dangerous. But he was also weak and tired and Tisiphone was not to be deterred. She would have her revenge, whatever the cost.
With no more warning than a slight shift of a paw, she was on him, snapping and snarling, latching onto a leg and snapping it in her powerful jaws. He was not long for the world of the living.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:05 am
From her place on the hill, Poine heard the fight. She cocked an ear toward it, listening with a quiet, impassive smile upon her dark maw. The snarling...the yelp of pain...the enraged growls. The sound of tearing flesh, of snapping bone. And, ahh, there it was -- the scent of blood...the scent of fear...the scent of lingering death.
In Poine's mind, she always imagined that death was a living thing. A bird, perhaps, a shadowy falcon with wings of night. She always felt that, when death was near, something swooped overhead. The air drew close. Everything was electrified.
Her fur stood on end in anticipation, and she waited for confirmation that the thing was over.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:18 am
Tisiphone snarled one more, annoyed that the stubborn b*****d had managed to claim a little of her blood. The injury was not serious, but it was certainly a blow to her pride, and the fact that it was just above one of her leg joints could be inconvenient.
With an angry growl, she side-stepped his snapping jaws and latched onto one of his paws, rendering a second limb useless. His cries of pain sounded to her like retribution; his blood tasted of justice. She watched him hobble away from her and felt a cold little smile spread across her maw.
"How the vicious have fallen. Is this all that is left of the monster?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:40 am
He was beaten. He knew it. He could not run, he could not fight.
He stared at her with hollow eyes. If not her, then someone else would have killed him. Kill or be killed -- that was the way of the wild. He understood and accepted that.
"It won't make you feel any better," he said, spitting blood from his mouth. "Long after I'm dead, you will still yearn to destroy me...again and again."
He didn't know why he was bothering to taunt her. He hardly remembered who she was...or why he should care. Reality was slipping again, back into the dream...he dreamt of dying often. Perhaps that's all this was. Did it matter anymore?
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:57 am
Perhaps he was right. She had heard time and again that revenge never solved anything. Then again, did they really know anything at all? Had those many voices ever had need to seek vengeance? Had they taken it? She doubted it.
Certainly, nothing could ever really make up for what he had done. Not even death. But it was a start. A step in the right direction. Most of all, it was necessary.
To the very core of her being, she needed to kill him. Like the fury she was named for, Tisiphone was driven to punish the murderer for his crimes. She could no more deny that need than stop her heart from beating. Not that she wanted to, of course. His death would bring her pleasure, of that she was certain. What would happen later, well...she would deal with that then.
Seeing the resignation in his eyes, the dark femme knew that there was no more point in dragging this out. Not bothering to reply to his taunting, she tore into his throat, tasting his coppery blood on her tongue, riding out his last, instinctive struggles to escape. She did not let go until she felt the very life flee from his body.
Grim pleasure mingled with relief and shock and she knew. She was finally free.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:32 am
Ahh, there it was. The sweet finality of death, the cloud that settled upon the area. Poine felt it as certainly as some might feel the shift in weather, the movement of migratory flocks. She licked her lips, feeling the electric tingle of excitement touch upon her skin, and rolled up to her paws.
She waited, a moment, to allow the black wolf to relish the moment. But Poine was a business wolf, and she could hardly wait forever.
She padded up to where the pair had gone and paused a moment to assess the situation. She smiled, a humorless smile, and her glowing eyes gleamed. "Everything went well, I trust?"
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